


I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

by Odd_birds_and_booksellers



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:36:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26148793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Odd_birds_and_booksellers/pseuds/Odd_birds_and_booksellers
Summary: 4/7 Taylor Swift x Jolex Week.What if Jo and Alex hadn't got together in season 9? Instead, they carried on as best friends, too scared to admit their growing feelings.  Set during Kepner's wedding in season 10.
Relationships: Alex Karev & Jo Wilson Karev, Alex Karev/Jo Wilson Karev
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: The Group Chat's Fics, jolex x taylor swift week





	I Don't Want You Like A Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> In this world Jo and Alex never got together, Alex never admitted his feelings to Christina and Jackson never interrupted Kepner's wedding.

_**Say my name and everything just stops** _

_**I don't want you like a best friend** _

_**Only bought this dress so you could take it off, take it off** _

Alex was in his typical grumpy mood as he checks his watch for the third time in five minutes, they were gonna be late and it wasn't like he particularly cared about this stupid wedding, Kepner was hardly his number one fan but he knew if they showed up a second late he'd hear about it from someone if not Kepner herself. He's about to yell out again for her to hurry her ass up when she comes stumbling down the stairs, her long brunette locks blown out in loose waves down her back as she hops on one foot trying to squish her foot to heels as she looks up at him, her hair is covering her face but he can see she's chosen a dark red lip the makes him twitch as the image of her lips on his flashes through his brain. Shivering he shakes it off when she stands before him, straightening out her silky black dress that hugs all the right curves. 

"You know this is a wedding right? not a strip club." He grumbles averting his gaze, his discomfort growing as he tries to hide the obvious effect she has on him.

"Wow, Jo you look really nice…" She mutters, rolling her eyes, grabbing her purse from the side as she heads to the door...it's not like she'd spent hours getting ready and picking the perfect dress not all. It definitely not like her heart had been beating out of her chest since he'd so casually suggested they go together.

"Will you shut up and get in the car?" He frowns, jogging down towards the car.

"Are you gonna come make me?" She calls out, she's stopped dead in the doorway, her head tilted to the side as she looks him up and down, raising her eyebrows suggestively. 

"No, but I'll leave your ass here." He frowns, honestly this woman will be the death of him, what is she playing at today?

"You're no fun...." Jo pouts, jogging down the steps behind him rushing to catch up with him as they head to the car.

* * *

"I hate weddings…" Alex growls, his leg bouncing up and down as he looked around checking to see when this thing was actually gonna start.

"So you keep saying…"

"I do...I hate sitting in an itchy suit for hours, making crappy conversation with peoples family members and this is Kepner's family and you can only imagine what they'll be banging on about…" He hisses, nodding towards who he thinks he recognises as April's sisters who seem to be in a heated debate.

"I like weddings, there's free food...free booze." Jo shrugs simply, fiddling with the flower display on the backs of the chairs. Speaking of alcohol she could really do with a glass if she was gonna spend the rest of the day watching Alex check out Kepner's sisters.

"Yeah, you would like that hobo-Jo." Turning back to face Jo he watches as hurt flashes through her eyes for a second, she knows he's joking, they always joke about crap like this but watching her huff as she turns away from his crossing her arms over her chest Alex feels immediately guilty.

"The only thing I like about weddings is the easy wedding sex and you ruin that…" He whispers leaning into Jo so only she can hear he really doesn't fancy pissing off anyone's grandma.

"I do not…" Jo's protest still facing away from him, shifting as she felt his hot breath against her ear, hating the way it sends shivers down her spine.

"Yes you do, people always think we're a couple and then I can't hit on the bridesmaids without them thinking I'm a douchebag." Alex chuckles poking her side lightly, he's found that sometimes ignoring Jo's mood and not making it a thing is easier than pushing for her to talk about it.

"Well you are a douchebag," Jo mutters, breaking into a grin as she turns back to him, her smile infecting him instantly.

"True but it was never a problem before you…"

"Well, you could always just have easy wedding sex with me." Jo breaths her eyes dancing as she leans in, her lips centimetres away from his. "That would fix your problem." She whispers biting her lip as her eyes flick down from his eyes to his lips.

Alex gulps, feeling heat spread through him, fighting the urge to lean over and wipe that smirk of her face. "K...keep dreaming princess." He stutters awkwardly, turning back towards the altar, rolling his eyes as Jo through her head back laughing at his red face.

* * *

Later in the evening, approximately four beers in Jo's managed to drag him to the dance floor, insisting she'll be his wingwoman if he'd just dance with her for a while. She'd argued that this dress deserved to see the dance floor much to Alex's dismay, who was quite happy at the bar, however, he'd let her pull him onto the open dance floor ignoring the way Meredith and Christina had made whipping sounds as they watched.

"You're stepping on my toes…" Alex hisses winching as they slowly spun around, his hands laying comfortably around her waist.

"I am not…" Jo protested, her nose scrunching up, as she sunk closer into Alex's arms, her hands clasped tightly behind his neck as they danced.

"Do you even know how to dance?"

"Yeah because there was so much room to learn in my car…" Jo growls pulling back to look at him, feeling so comfortable in his arms, she'd sort of like him to shut up so she can savour the moment.

"Did you live in your car?...never knew that about you." Alex smirks chucking softly as Jo narrows her eyes at him before sticking her tongue out him.

"Oh, you look so hot when you do that…" 

"See I know you're joking but I look hot all the time so…" Jo smirks, poking her tongue out again, laughing as he leans forward almost catching her tongue in his mouth.

It's nothing new for them to get a little flirty but they'd never actually crossed that line...yet that is. "You're forgetting I've seen you throw up into a dog bowl at three in the morning...the neighbour's dog bowl."

Alex spins her out on the floor, his eyes lighting up as she throws her head back laughing, completely unaware to the stares they receive.

"Still hot though right?" She jokes winking at him as she spins back into his arms.

Alex considers agreeing with her for a second, that yes even when she's throwing up she's still incredibly hot and it's annoying as hell.

"You two make a lovely couple…" Turning they find an elderly couple embraced in their own slow dance smiling up at them.

"Oh, we aren't dating-"

"We're just friends-"

Jo and Alex stumble over their words much to the amusement of the elder couple as the break out of each other's arms, missing the warmth they had just felt immediately.

"See people do think we're a couple…" Alex hisses as they head away from the dance floor, his hand pressed against Jo's back as he guides her back towards the bar.

"Yeah...yeah." Jo waves him away as they push through the tables. "You don't have to hate it so much you know?...you'd be lucky to date me." She mutters the last part underneath her breath but he heard her.

"I know that…" Alex frowns his eyebrows, creasing as he watches Jo mutter an excuse about powdering her nose as she stalks off. "Jo I never said I hated it."

* * *

Jo hadn't really said much to Alex since they'd come off the dance floor, she'd muttered a brief Thankyou when he'd ordered her a drink but made her excuses telling him she was gonna go dance with Stephanie so he was free to hit on whoever the hell he wasn't too, she wouldn't get in the way.

Yet ever since she'd stepped away Alex hadn't taken his eyes off her, leaning against the bar he'd followed her around the room, watching as she shakes her hips, laughing as Jackson jumped down to do the worm clearly he'd been drinking the day away as well.

"I love a wedding don't you?"

Alex recognises the guy talking from earlier, he was part of the couple that had stopped him and Jo.

"Not really….think it's a load of crap." Alex admits, taking a big swing of his beer, watching the way Nurse Carter's hands have found themselves around Jo's waist.

"How come?" The guys holds his hands up to the bartender, before leaning against the bar facing the dance floor like Alex.

"Marriage is crappy, this whole big show for what it never lasts…" Alex mumbles bitterly, as his eyes flick to where April and Matt are greeting all the evening guests.

"Sounds like you speak from experience…" Alex simply nodded, glancing at the guy who was watching his wife in the corner chatting away happily at their table. "You know my wife over there, we've been married 35 years...not as long as we would have liked but we didn't find each other until a little later in life...we too were a little bit jaded, we'd both done this whole show before…" the guy explains gesturing to the crowd around them.

"So what's your secret to making it work or whatever?" Alex questions, his gaze falling back to Jo who's managed to shimmy away from Carter's grip, the corners of his mouth turning up as she mouths SOS to Steph.

"Marry your best friend. Marry someone you can laugh with. The kind of laugh that makes your belly ache, and your nose snort. Marriage is hard. There are days when you'll hate the person beside you but as long as your relationship is buried deep in friendship you'll always find your way. You think you might know someone like that?" The guy asks with a slight twinkle in his eyes as he nods towards Jo.

"We're really just friends…" Alex whispers, his eyes never leaving Jo, the guy's words replaying over and over in his mind as he watches her.

"Maybe you could be more...don't waste your time being scared...marriage is only as crappy as you say it is when you're married to the wrong person." The guy finished, patting Alex on the shoulder as he accepts his drinks heading back towards his table.

* * *

It's early in the morning when Jo and Alex finally make it back to his house, she usually crashes there so it's nothing new for Alex. Jo's half asleep on his shoulder, her head pressed against his neck as he carried her piggyback style up to the house.

When they enter the house Alex lowers Jo down, sighing as she makes her way towards the sofa mumbling goodnight, as she flips her hair over to the side.

"Jo" Alex whispers, he's not even sure she heard him but the old guy's speech from earlier is still replaying in his mind. The Dutch courage in his system fuelling his newfound confidence. "You look beautiful tonight."

"What?" Jo stops abruptly, whirling around she finds him hovering in the doorway, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Earlier I said you looked like a hooker…" Alex shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"You actually said I look like I was going to a strip club but okay…" Jo frowns, plopping down on the edge of the sofa.

"Whatever, what I meant to say was you looked beautiful," Alex grumbles.

"Well it's quite different"

"Yeah well, I'm crappy with my words..."

"That I know...you told April she looked okay today which is kinda rude as she was the bride…" Jo continued to ramble on, obviously to Alex's nervous state.

"Will you be quiet? I'm trying to say something." He tries to interrupt but she hasn't heard him she continues on. 

"-and if I hadn't been laughing my ass off then…"

"Jo shut up" He snaps, making Jo jump as her eyes shoot up to meet him.

"Erm...okay...alright," she mimes zipping her mouth shut, nodding for him to continue.

"I...I...What I'm trying to tell you is that I don't hate when people think we're a couple or missing out meaningless wedding sex because truthfully I'd rather be with you anyway. You make me laugh until I cry and you know me you know…" Alex sighs running a hand through his hair, he comes to kneel down in front of her on the sofa.

"This isn't going well is it?" He sighs, squeezing his eyes shut.

"No it's perfect." Jo grins flashing him a watery smile as she reaches out cupping his face in her hands. "Keep going." She urges, shifting closer to him. 

"I've never had someone that just got me without having to try, without years of building it up but you and me, we just fit and we work and even when we're arguing you're still the only person I want...when you're in the room I can't look anywhere but you and it's infuriating because I didn't want this I didn't wanna love someone again... I just…"

"Love someone?" Jo whispers, a warm grin spreading across her face.

Alex nods fervently, matching Jo's grin. "Look I'm not sure if this is going anywhere but I know I wanna try...I love you Jo...and when you're there in that dress it's so damn hard to not lean over and kiss you." Alex admits, fighting the urge he has to look anywhere but her eyes as he speaks, there's nothing he hates more than being this open and vulnerable with someone but if he can do it for anyone it's Jo.

"Then kiss me,"

"What?" Alex looks dumbfounded, the look of shock on his face making Jo laugh.

"Kiss me, Alex." She whispers leaning in, her hand stroking over his stubble.

Not waiting another minute, he presses his lips to hers, instantly wrapping his arms around her waist pulling her forward into his lap. Alex shuddered as electricity flowed through him as he deepened the kiss, parting Jo's lips with his tongue. She responds immediately wrapping her arms around his neck, sealing the tiny space between them, pressing herself against him.

His hands were on her hips, and he lifted her up as if she were made of air. Jo's legs wrapping around his waist, as he stumbles back slamming her against the wall.

"You wanna know a secret?" Jo pants her lips already swollen from their kiss, as Alex pulls away, turning his attention to her neck, sucking gently, leaving his mark as a reminder that this is real and she's here in his arms.

"Mhmm tell me…" He whispers against her neck, his hands pulling the silky straps off her dress down, desperate to rid her of the torturous thing.

"I only bought this dress so you could take it off." Jo admits holding his face in her hands pulling him back up towards her lips.

Jo squeals in delight as Alex wraps his arms back around her legs, making his way towards the staircase, the house filling with the sound of their laughter as he carries her up towards his bedroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Wooo can you believe it is Day 4 of Taylor Swift x Jolex Week?
> 
> This one was a little last-minute fluff but as always thank you for the love, reviews are always appreciated.
> 
> Head over to my Tumblr odd-birds-and-booksellers for more Jolex fluff.


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